Courts of the Sea
by icearrows1200
Summary: Stories, as many a writer knows, are replications and reflections of reality. The telling of said stories, on the other hand, is an art of which Linebeck claims to be the master-though whether he is or not depends entirely on the listener. Birthday!fic for ctj! One-shot.


_The waters were dark and murky. They bore no reflections nor gave any clue as to what lay within in their infinite depths. The unwavering placidity of the water was perhaps ideal for the growth of deeply rooted sea plants or the homes of sand-colored fish. But if plants and fish dwelled within, they gave no indication, because the stillness blurred the line between the water's surface and the fog through which Linebeck navigated; all about, the unnerving shore waters seemed to stretch on for miles, rolling gently against the sides of the rowboat._

 _Slosh._

 _Slosh._

 _ **Creak**_ _._

 _Linebeck looked up in surprise._

 _Beyond the fog, the form of another rowboat on the horizon appeared, but inside, there rested neither man nor oars. And yet the rowboat crept diligently towards him. As the noses of the boats touched, he froze._

 _A chill ran down his spine as the boat changed direction and began moving perpendicular to him, as if sentient. Swallowing his apprehension, Linebeck bravely followed in quiet pursuit._

 _It was only after a few minutes of perseverant rowing that he suddenly broke through the fog. And in the wake of the rowboat he so fearlessly followed were clear, brilliantly blue skies and expansive ocean waters in all directions._

 _There was a splash, and from beneath the unoccupied rowboat surfaced four beautiful mermaids. They explained to Linebeck that they had heard far and wide of his bravery and, having heard word of his travels through their seas, reasoned to send a party in search of him._

 _But Linebeck was nonetheless still baffled. For what did they need him?_

 _There was a monster, a blonde mermaid explained, that was ceaselessly terrorizing their kingdom, and not even the strongest of mersoldiers could defeat it. It was their King's decision to enlist the help of a valiant and capable man._

 _Feeling it his duty to defend the seas, Linebeck agreed. The four mermaids extended their arms heavenward and murmured ancient words that no land-dwelling man could understand anymore._

 _The blonde mermaid smiled. The spell had given him the ability to breathe underwater, she explained. Without hardly a moments hesitation, Linebeck leapt into the water and—_

"That is _absurd_! There is _no_ way that anyone, mermaid or not, would enlist _your_ help, nor would you ever be caught dead rowing in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh yeah? Well, guess what, Cottonpuff: it's _all_ true."

While a storm raged cataclysmically outside, preventing both further travel and sleep, (with the exception of Link, who could probably sleep through the end of the world, but made do by curling up beneath a colossal heap of blankets in his hammock.) Linebeck and Ciela had taken to listening to the crack of thunder and crash of waves in port—and, out of (as they both would claim) boredom's resort, to each other's voices.

Not at Ciela's request, Linebeck was in the midst of a tale, a small glass of ale in his left hand, more drank than it was un-drank.

"Look," Ciela insisted, pacing about the tabletop thoughtfully, "I could be wrong, but I'm _quite_ positive that I've never seen a mermaid before—and I was in charge of a great deal of the ocean."

"But if I know anything about you, it's that your memory is not the greatest in all the seas, Sparkles." He watched in amusement as she glared at him with incredulity.

"Well, it sounds fake, like a tall tale some lonely man would make up on the high seas."

"It's real all right; as real as the wings on your back."

"Okay, then what was the name of the mermaid? The blonde one."

Linebeck considered this for a moment.

"Esthera," He finally replied.

Linebeck found that Ciela appeared curiously amused. "All right," Ciela said, "Keep going with the story; you were about to go in the ocean…"

"I've got you hooked, haven't I?" He leaned pompously back in his chair and examined his fingernails. "No lass can resist an epic tale of the sea. And you know, they say excellent story-telling runs in my family—"

"Just get on with it."

 _With a resounding splash into the waves, Linebeck jumped into the water and found instantly that water flowed through his lungs with just as much ease as air. With his excellent swimming skills—_

("You can't swim!")

("Hush, Sparkles.")

 _—he followed in pursuit of the mermaids until, in the distance, the silhouette of an enormous underwater palace appeared, large coral towers jutting up from the ocean base while a village of various ocean structures and their inhabitants surrounded. It was a large, beautiful kingdom._

 _Though Linebeck would have liked to explore the entire kingdom, there were more pertinent things for him to deal with. The mermaids led him into the front entrance of the palace where two burly guards stepped aside to allow them entrance._

 _Inside the palace, the floors were artfully sculpted into ornate designs, while high ceilings gave image to enormous columns and sweeping arches. At the base of a grand, marble staircase stood the golden statue of a very prominent and most certainly royal merman, trident in hand._

 _Esthera explained that the statue was of their first King, who brought order and peace to the warring Mermaid clans. She asked Carolyn, a rather burly mermaid, to inform the King that they were requesting permission to bring Linebeck into the throne room._

 _When Carolyn left, and the other two mermaids swam about and made themselves busy with other word, Linebeck was left alone with Esthera._

 _"This may be too forward," he began, "but are you a princess of this castle?"_

 _Flushing, Esthera shook her head furiously. "Oh, no, no—I'm a captain in the Royal Army. That's why I was sent in search of you." She gestured to the stairs. "The princess—Princess Hartke—is currently in an undisclosed location, to keep her safe from the Sea Monster. Speaking of such, we ought to make our way to the Throne Room." She gestured to the staircase. "After you."_

("If they're mermaids, why do they have staircases? Can't they just _swim_ up levels?")

(How should I know? I'm not their architect!")

 _Together, the two swam up the staircase and through countless winding corridors, but swimming was a weightless act and the floors below them must have only ever been used by the sea creatures bound by legs and pinchers._

 _Before they entered the Throne Room, Esthera informed him of the etiquette to be used in the presence of the King._

 _"His Majesty is very old—now, his hearing and eyesight still rival that of our youngest warriors—but the language he speaks most frequently is Meerish, as we all do, and he has not spoken to Men since the old Hylian language was in use. It is only we younger people who know of Modern Hylian. So I trust you will do your best to listen carefully and speak clearly without being patronizing."_

 _"Of course," Linebeck promised, and Esthera gave his shoulder a squeeze before leading him into the Throne Room, where an enormous merman with long, black hair, tied pragmatically but regally at his neck, sat in a massive golden throne. To his right, an empty, smaller throne rested and, to his left, there was an even smaller, but equally empty throne._

 _"The Queen was eaten by the sea monster years ago," Esthera whispered, "and of course, his daughter is in hiding, so naturally, he is very lonely."_

 _The King bellowed something ferocious in a tongue that Linebeck could not at all understand, and gestured to Linebeck._

 _Esthera responded in the same language, though her tone was rich with conviction as she spoke. The King considered her words, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he observed Linebeck._

 _"So you are Human," the King finally said, "and yet youst aim to rivalen the Warriors of mine. How willst you this do?"_

 _Fortunately, Linebeck had no difficulty understanding the King's broken Hylian. He bowed his head briefly. "Your Majesty: though a human I may be, I have faced foes of the land, sea, and sky. For years I have battled alone and it is my duty as a hero to protect the people of the sea just as I have protected those on land."_

There was then a moment of silence, in which Linebeck said nothing and merely looked disdainfully into his empty glass.

"Why'd you stop?" Ciela protested.

"I need a refill." He yawned, stood, and refilled his glass; but before he returned to the table, he considered a small shot glass. He spun on his heel and faced Ciela, waving the glass before her tantalizingly.

"Want some?" His expression broke into a mischievous grin. "The shot glass should be small enough for you."

Ciela scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No way. The volume of alcohol in that could kill me."

"In _ale_?"

"Well, yeah… fairies are small. Since you're a human, and a lot bigger than me (not to mention a sailor), it's not very difficult for you to handle that; but for fairies, it's basically poison."

Linebeck took a sip from his own glass and observed her thoughtfully. "Interesting. Hm. So do fairies have their own special alcohol, then?"

"We have better things to do than to drink, Linebeck."

"Is that a no? Well, you fairies are missing out."

Ciela laughed. "But we don't spend our lives drinking our problems away, aimlessly roaming the seas."

For a moment, he stared at her in the splintered lantern light of the groaning weatherworn ship, and his face fell dark and harrowed.

"It's getting late. I think I'm going to go to bed." Linebeck glanced at his wrist, realized he was not wearing a watch, and set down his glass, still half full.

Ciela leapt off of the table and hovered briefly, as if she were a small sun in the middle of the ship.

"You're not going to finish the story?" She asked. To her own ears, her voice sounded uncharacteristically timid.

Almost dubiously, Linebeck faced her. "Do you…want to hear the rest?"

"Yes, I mean…I don't think either of us could sleep during a storm like this, so you…"

There was little coherence to her justification, but he convinced himself to believe it nonetheless. He slid back into the chair across from where she landed on the table and continued:

 _Convinced by Linebeck's words, the King allowed him free reign of the palace and grounds, including access to the royal armory. The day flew by beneath the waves as he and Esthera practiced fencing and dueling until at long last the gong rang for dinner in the castle._

 _"You simply_ _ **must**_ _join us for dinner, Linebeck! It is only appropriate that the Royal Court meet the man who is to be their savior."_

 _"I would love to," Linebeck insisted, "but with a battle possible at any moment, shouldn't I be preparing?"_

 _"I see," Esthera said with disappointment. She looked into Linebeck's eyes very briefly, and then looked away. "My brother was murdered by the sea monster, Linebeck. He fought valiantly as one of the Kingdom's finest warriors—but with one snap of the beast's teeth, he was gone, and so my life has been dreary ever since." She reached out and accepted Linebeck's hand into her own. "And it is why I am so very glad that you have come to save our Kingdom. A man of your abilities will avenge the deaths of every loss we have sustained."_

 _Bashfully, she inched forward and met his lips with her own—and though the kiss lasted only briefly, it was intoxicating._

 _"Come," She said, tugging on his hand, "No hero can fight on an empty stomach."_

 _He agreed wholeheartedly._

 _The dining hall was extravagant. One enormous table, four feet wide and nearly forty feet long, spanned the length of the room; atop it rested hundreds of empty golden platters, and in ornate chairs sat dozens of prominent merfolk._

 _Linebeck observed it with quiet wonder._

 _"What do you think?" Esthera asked._

 _"It's more beautiful than any place I've ever been," he breathed. He beamed at Esthera. "Who knew all this was under the sea?"_

 _With an affectionate pat on his shoulder, Esthera led him to his seat just right of the King._

 _Before dinner was to be served, the King proceeded to his seat as trumpets cried a regal tune._

 _The King stood before the table and, clearing his throat, began: "For ours very specialt guest, I wille in the tongue of Man speaken." He nodded at Linebeck in respect. "Mermaids and Mermen, we are today night joined by a man of manye talents, impeccable tastes, who has traveleden perilous sease, and agreed to solven the problem has, that in our kingdom plagued is."_

 _Applause—though for Linebeck, it was growing more and more difficult to understand._

 _"It is my greatest pleasure to announce that we willen be enjoying him for dinner."_

 _Though it was truly a poor act to correct the grammar of a King, our hero had very good grammar, despite what many may assume regarding his life as a sailor._

 _"Uh, your Majesty," Linebeck interrupted, "I believe you mean: 'enjoying his company for dinner.' My sincerest apologies, as I know do not fluently speak Modern Hylian, but it's merely that—"_

 _"I speake a truth," The King interrupted. From behind him, two firm hands gripped his arms, rendering him immobile. A glance behind him revealed that Carolyn had taken hold of him and, no matter how he struggled, he could not break from her iron grip._

 _"Linebeck," the King shook his head sullenly and leaned close, whispering in his ear, "Our Kingdom long since been rid of its Sea Monsteren problem has; it is now the hunger that threatenses to turn mermen againgen their King. Even a drop single of your blood will sate the most ravenous of merfolk."_

 _"This is ridiculous!" Linebeck cried, "This must be a misunderstanding! A joke! An initiation! Your Majesty,_ _ **please**_ _! I beg of you."_

 _"The platter before me," The King gestured grandly to a large golden plate, "Willst soon be the of home youren head!" He barked something in Meerish at Carolyn, and soon, she was forcefully pulling him by the arms as the room erupted into cheers. Before the doors slammed shut behind him, he caught Esthera's glance—and found it unreadable before he was dragged into the depths of the palace."_

Linebeck looked up from the lantern on the table. It was nearly extinguished, and only a dull flicker remained. "Are you sure you want me to continue?" Linebeck asked, "It gets rather brutal from here on out."

Ciela huffed. "Nothing I can't handle, I'm sure; and you can't just stop right there! I want to see poor Captain Linebeck get chopped up into dinner."

"Well, I clearly _didn't_ get chopped up if I'm still here to tell of it!"

"I like tales about the ocean," Ciela said irrelevantly. "There's something beautiful about the vast loneliness and mysteriousness of the sea. The possibilities of man against the sea are endless—" After a beat, she added: "—whether they are true or not."

"Well, we do _live_ on the sea, Sparkles. I can't think of what else we'd talk about, if not all the water out here."

Ciela nodded. "I like the sea better than the land, though. All that time I spent on the shores of Mercay living with Grandpa were nice, sure…but I kept wondering what it'd be like to travel on open water. I had many an adventure in my head out of sheer boredom before I finally leapt at the opportunity to travel with you and Link."

"I'm impressed," Linebeck said genuinely. "I didn't know you had a heart for adventure. Reminds me of an Old Wayfarer we once met…"

"Then you haven't been paying attention, Linebeck," Ciela grinned. "Now I want to know what happens once you're down in the kitchens."

"I'm getting there…"

 _The kitchens were dark and cold, hardly filled with anything besides an enormous cauldron and a preparation table, atop which lay dozens of gleaming and intimidating knives. The chef, an old and balding man with a ridiculous accent, squealed with delight when he saw Linebeck's struggling body._

 _"The King wants his head," Carolyn explained importantly, "and prepare a few other dishes for the Court. The rest is to be put into storage for later public distribution."_

 _"I can't believe—"_

("Ah, ah—if the chef _has_ a ridiculous accent, I expect to _hear_ a ridiculous accent!")

 _"Ah can't believe Ah get to cook le_ _ **human**_ _again!" The chef cried. "No merman can leev off of leftover bone marrow forehver! Gods! Zere is absolutely_ _ **no**_ _nutritiohn in_ _ **anyzing**_ _around here!" In one swift movement, he retrieved one of the large knives and charged at Linebeck, but Carolyn pushed him out of the way before he could do any damage._

 _"Are you crazy?" She shouted. "Stabbing him will take several attempts in which he will lose more blood than you can collect. Drowning him will be much more effective."_

("Wait, wouldn't they be speaking in Meerish at this point? I doubt they would bother letting you know what they were deciding.")

("They just did! Stop interrupting my story unless _you_ want to tell it!")

("I'm just pointing out a logical flaw, but please continue.")

 _The chef laughed spitefully. "Ahm not allowed to use magic."_

 _Carolyn smirked. "But I am." She snapped her fingers, and in an instant, water once more became water, and bubbles of air barreled from his lungs before he could remember to hold his breath._

 _The desire to inhale was uncontrollable—black spots clouded his vision and his lungs seemed to shrink in their size and the pressure of the water above throttled him over the line of consciousness. He was just about to lose his senses when a bright light filled the room like lightening and hundreds of tons of rock came crumbling down._

 _An enormous, hideous beast with fins the size of ships and a tail as long as night burst through the walls of the kitchen, uprooting the foundation of the palace in the process. Linebeck could no longer hold his breath, and in the chaos, he inhaled—but as he did, another flash of light bathed the room, and Linebeck found once more that the water in his lungs had turned into blessed, blessed air._

 _After only a split-second's recovery, Linebeck swam through the open walls as the monster gave a ferocious roar. When the beast was in full view, he saw its gleaming teeth, vibrant teal scales, and identified it as a Sea Dragon, one of many creatures about which people spoke, but never saw. Carolyn and the chef were nowhere to be found._

 _Gripping the beast's shoulders tightly was a mermaid, far slighter in figure than Carolyn or Esthera, with a full head of dark hair. She seemed to be guiding the chaotic, unpredictable movements of the monster. Heart thrumming wildly, Linebeck swam away from the castle as it began to crumble around him. The western wing and two magnificent towers split in half, and the mermaid gave a fearless war cry as dozens of armed mersoldiers began swimming in countless rows towards the beast._

 _With one swoop of its right fin, the Sea Dragon felled one hundred soldiers; Linebeck watched in awe as the unidentified mermaid raised a spear and launched it at a merman, shishkabobbing two, three, and then four soldiers upon it._

("Eww," said Ciela.)

 _But in rejoicing over her victory, the mermaid did not notice a soldier approach her from behind and throw her from her seat atop the dragon. She spiraled wildly upwards, the momentum carrying her high above the bodies of her brethren._

 _"Capture the Princess!" A soldier cried, and thirty of them swarmed about her body._

 _Linebeck then realized that the mermaid in question was, as Esthera had described, Princess Hartke, who had no doubt been in hiding, but certainly not for her safety._

 _Being by no means sympathetic to the cause of the King and his servants who attempted to murder and eat him for the sake of his kingdom, Linebeck knew intuitively that Princess Hartke was a revolutionary, set against her father, and decided to join her in her battle._

 _He swam tirelessly towards Hartke and the circle of mersoldiers took no notice of him. She struggled endlessly against their grip, but it wasn't until Linebeck swiped one of the soldiers' spears that they finally paid him any mind._

 _Though they did not loosen their hold on Hartke, the mersoldiers recoiled at the sight of a human, breathing water as they do, brandishing a spear in his arms. It is far more likely that thirty agile and strong mersoldiers could overcome a human than he could overcome them, but they were both astonished, impressed, and quite concerned, for the King had already announced to the Kingdom the upcoming distribution of Manblood._

 _But this brief second of shock was just enough for Hartke to wriggle from their grasp and disarm three mersoldiers before running them through with their own weapons. She cried something in Meerish, and then in Hylian: "You there! Fight your way through! The Dragon and I will attack the Great Hall!"_

 _With that, the Sea Dragon, who had just warded off the mersoldiers attempting to capture it, swam towards Hartke and she mounted it; together, they swam towards the Eastern Wing of the castle, hurtling forwards at great speeds._

 _Spear in hand, Linebeck shoved aside soldiers, many of whom were larger but less skilled than he. He was not in the business of injuring nor killing them, for his defense of the sea also included pacifism against other races, but pushed them aside and followed after Hartke. He had every intention of watching the glorious castle crumble around the King who had so wanted to consume his head. And now, instead of a_ _ **literal**_ _piece of his mind, Linebeck was going to give it figuratively._

 _The Sea Dragon had knocked down half a wall of the East Wing, giving Hartke a bold entrance into the Great Hall. While the monster waited outside, Hartke swam in through the entrance she had created and Linebeck followed in diligent pursuit._

 _While the King sat at the head of the table, quivering over his empty plate, and the Royal Court shook in their seats, Hartke floated atop the center of the table. Peering from behind the fallen rocks, Linebeck watched. She must have known that Linebeck was watching, for she spoke in Hylian. (Or else she did it to spite her father's lack of ability in the language of the land.)_

 _"…and you thought you could keep me locked up forever, didn't you? You thought thirty years in isolation would teach me a lesson, huh?!" Hartke picked up a gold dinner knife and thrust it into the table, mere inches from her father's fingertips._

 _"Well, it didn't," she continued. "I may have been weak then, but I was smart. I spent half those years reading and training to become strong and aware of what our Kingdom has done. Not only did I train the fabled Sea Dragon, but I have learned of the Kingdoms on land, of the Brotherhood of the Gorons, of the Fair Rule of Islands, and of the incorruptible rule of the Ocean King! This Kingdom is built on foolishness!"_

 _"Princess Hartke," began a quivering young diplomat, "there is no corruption in His Majesty's rule. He is merely trying to sate the hunger of his people. Starvation is a large problem in His Kingdom."_

 _"Oh, please," Hartke scoffed. "You think that the blood of one man will eliminate hunger?"_

 _"Yes, science has indicated that—"_

 _She pointed towards the hole in the wall, in Linebeck's direction. "That man's blood will provide you with no more satisfaction than the blood of a Skippy Jack. You think we can only eat Man Blood?" She laughed madly. "Idiots! It's all a ruse so that he can keep the Kingdom weak and under his control. Your endless searching for a human is because my father just wants to satisfy_ _ **his**_ _bloodlust."_

 _The Court looked at the King in bewilderment._

 _"Surely this is all a lie, your Majesty," An advisor balked. "The Princess is merely delusional, is she not?"_

 _"What do you think I lived on while I was exiled?" Hartke interjected. "Surely not humans! I ate as other fish do—I hunted for small fish and ate plants when I could not find meat. There is no need for excessive killing."_

 _The Court was intrigued and began firing questions at Hartke faster than she could answer. As Linebeck became more comfortable, he swam out of his hiding spot and watched closer. Esthera was still in the same seat as before, but she appeared unalarmed. He observed her cautiously, but he realized soon that she was indeed watching him as well. Thinking it safe, Linebeck made to swim towards her, but she put a finger to her lips and nodded towards Hartke._

 _"But why Man's Blood?" The Advisor asked. He appeared thoroughly convinced of Hartke's story. "Why not something equally as rare? Neptoona? Sea Dragons? Why not something completely false altogether?"_

 _"Because," Hartke sneered, "He had his first taste of human many years ago and he's been dying for another bite ever since."_

 _The Court gasped._

 _"Does anyone remember my mother?" Hartke asked rhetorically. A few of the older members nodded. "She and my father were travellers in my childhood—when times were easy, they me on long adventures. And one day, we found a woman struggling in the water, unable to swim, far from land._

 _"My mother wanted to rescue her, but my father thought it a trap. And when my mother persisted, and swam for the woman, my father swam faster, and dragged the woman deep into the sea where she soon died._

 _"There was little food about, and the Kingdom was a day's swim away, and so he came up with the idea that we eat her, but my mother and I refused, and we left. We arrived at the Kingdom a day before he, and we knew he had eaten her, but when he arrived, he insisted that she and I had committed acts of treason and had attempted to murder him in open water._

 _"Though my mother fought against him, he was too strong, and she fell dead; he then blamed the act on a fateful accident with a Sea Dragon, and the Court believed him. He exiled me, for I was as hateful as ever, under the guise of protection from the Sea Dragon, but the tides have changed, for the Sea Dragon is now my ally._

 _"And since that day, you've all believed his_ _ **lies**_ _that the food of the sea has been made poisonous for us by the Sea Dragon, an act of a vengeful god, and have sulked about the seas like common sirens, dragging brave men into the waters so your King can satisfy his sick craving!"_

 _The Court was silent. The ogled the King with furious, bewildered, and frightened expressions—but the King sat wordlessly, his head hung in apparent guilt. He looked up sorrowfully, glancing into his daughter's fiery eyes, then snapped his fingers—and in an instant, though Hartke still had her fin, a bubble of air escaped her mouth and she began frantically trying to swim away, but a second snap of the King's fingers and she was immobile._

 _The Court moved not a muscle, but Linebeck then knew what he must do. As fast as he could, he swam forward and tackled the King from behind. A surprise attack indeed it was, for the King had little time to react before Linebeck seized the dinner knife Hartke had once used and put it against the King's throat._

 _"Let her breathe water!" Linebeck commanded. "Return her ability to breathe and swim!"_

 _Very slowly, the King raised his hand, chortling deeply and grotesquely, and snapped—but it was not Hartke upon whom the magic was struck; it was Linebeck, and once more he could not breathe, until very quickly he fell into darkness, his grip on the King and the knife falling lax as he fell like an autumn leaf—slowly and agonizingly—onto the floor._

 _There was a flash and a cry—and he suddenly knew no more._

("Is he dead? No, wait! Stupid question.")

 _Linebeck awoke—and the fact that he even awoke was enough for him, for his sleep had been dreamless and his first thought when he opened his eyes was that he was most certainly dead, or else he had dreamed the entire encounter._

 _But he hadn't dreamt, and he realized soon that, though he could once again breathe, the light flickered and wavered about him as if he were underwater. And underwater he was indeed, on a bed made of coral, in the infirmary of the thankfully undestroyed East Wing. He took a moment to gather his wits, and found his throat was painfully sore, his head cloudy, his muscles aching._

 _He gave a small cough and glanced around the room. Though there were dozens of similar beds lining the walls, it was only his and one other that were occupied. To his right rested the sleeping figure of Princess Hartke, thankfully breathing._

 _"You've finally awoken." Through the large doors appeared Esthera, carrying in her arms a brown leather satchel. She sat on the chair beside Linebeck's bed and folded her hands in her lap._

 _"I'm afraid we've been frightfully rude hosts," Esthera continued, but Linebeck was struck speechless—he was still unaware of how he lived and, given the previous circumstances, unsure of his trust in Esthera._

 _She must have understood this, because she readjusted in her seat and cleared her throat. "I'm going to explain to you many things, Linebeck. There's a great deal you should know. Well. First you must know that I am a very trusted military advisor to the King, so it is my duty to follow his orders. You mustn't think me a horrendous person for obeying my King in the face of exile, and if you do, then I'm sure this will clear it up:_

 _"After you were taken down to the kitchens, I finally confronted the King. It has been, as Princess Hartke explained at dinner, many years since we have attempted to eat anything other than the flesh and blood of Man, and so I suggested to the King that perhaps we ought to complete tests on the nearby food supply and see if it was safe to eat. He did not take kindly to this suggestion, accused me of conspiracy and treason, and bound me with a spell to prevent me from acting in any way against him. It was by then that I realized something was wrong._

 _"Later, when you and Princess Hartke returned, her story began filling in the missing pieces of recent years. I was prepared to join ranks with the Princess, but I was still bound by the King's spell, and I suspect that may have been the case for a few more members of the Court. But here's where things changed: Linebeck, when you attacked the King and gave him a fright, it rendered his magic weak and uncontrollable. So while he managed to take away your air, he simultaneously freed me and I was able to save you and Princess Hartke. And as for the King—well, enough blood has been shed in our Kingdom in recent years, and so we locked him in a distant tower."_

 _Esthera fell silent and began nervously wringing her hands. She looked at Linebeck in anticipation, but he was still awe-struck._

 _"I suppose," he began, "that I have every right to be both grateful_ _ **and**_ _hesitant?"_

 _"You do," she confirmed. "Though I hope you can forgive me, Linebeck. I hope you can forgive us, our Kingdom."_

 _Linebeck managed a smile. "And what will become of this Kingdom?"_

 _Esthera nodded towards the sleeping form of Hartke. "When Princess Hartke awakens, we will ask her to be our Queen, and I have little doubt that she will comply. After all, I believe she came back to the Kingdom with intentions of overthrowing her father. And here:" She opened the satchel and produced a golden scroll, bound with silver string. She handed it to Linebeck._

 _He opened it cautiously. "The Meerish Kingdom of the Eastern Seas," it read, "would be honored to offer, for his work and effort in saving the Kingdom from corrupted rule, Linebeck of the Land a position in the Royal Court, in which his opinion will be sincerely valued. His privileges will include—"_

 _Linebeck rolled up the scroll._

 _"There's more," Esthera insisted. "Keep reading."_

 _"I'm afraid I can't," Linebeck replied. "There is nothing more to read because this is not an offer I can take. As is written, I am Linebeck of the_ _ **Land**_ _, and though my time here has been interesting, I belong in the world above the waves, protecting the seas from the vantage of a ship…Though if you ever find me at sea, please do not hesitate to say hello."_

 _"Very well," Esthera conceded. "I'll not pretend I'm not disappointed. But never forget that you're always welcome here, and we shan't ever forget you." She smiled sadly. "I expect you're recovered?"_

 _"A bit sore, but that's what life at sea is about, Milady."_

 _"Very good."_

 _"And when Princess Hartke awakens, please tell her that I am thankful to her and her Sea Dragon for saving my life when I was on the brink of becoming dinner."_

 _Esthera laughed good-naturedly. "But of course." She leaned over and kissed Linebeck on the cheek, closed her eyes, and murmured once again something ancient and magical. With an image of her in his mind, Linebeck closed his eyes as well, and when he opened them once more, he was in his rowboat in the shallow waters of a small island, his ship in the distance, and the ocean flowing gently below him._

"The end," Linebeck proclaimed.

"Well, Linebeck, the story was excellent and well-told, but also strikingly familiar…Ah! I know!" Ciela frowned. "It's the exact same plot as _Courts of the Sea_ by Shira Wheel. Except this time it's _you_ saving the Meerish Kingdom, not Bronck Evernore."

"What?!" Linebeck protested. "No way! The whole thing's true!"

"Oh, don't lie to me, Linebeck. I'm quite well-read."

Linebeck averted his eyes. "When did you realize?"

"The beginning was very familiar, but when you said the blonde mermaid's name was Esthera, I knew for sure." She hesitated, then continued: "But I distinctly remember Esthera having black hair when I read it all those years ago. In fact, it was one of her defining characteristics."

"Ah, I changed it for my version," Linebeck admitted. "What can I say? I have a thing for blondes."

Ciela fell silent, and very briefly, Linebeck was disappointed that Ciela's expression was hidden by her shield of light.

"What?" He prodded.

"Nothing."

Linebeck shrugged. "So, Sparkles, if you read the whole thing in Fairy School, why listen to me?"

"It's a good story," she admitted. "Plus the original protagonist was too goody-two-shoes for my taste. To selfless."

Linebeck looked at her in genuine surprise. "I thought I made myself sound pretty selfless."

Ciela gave him a knowing look. "Maybe I'll tell you a story of my own sometime," she offered.

"Fantasy or reality?"

Ciela considered this for a prolonged moment. Yawning, she noticed that the storm outside had dulled to the quiet drone of rain against the ship's hull. "I guess that depends on what I can get you to believe."

 _A/N: Happy Birthday, ctj! Thank you for many years of friendship and fanfiction! Your work is astounding and I continue to look forward to everything you write. Make this day a great one! :)_


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